Passionate about Pokey

About six weeks ago my life changed drastically. I have been forced to resign from many organizations that meet in the evening because I need to be home at 8:30 p.m. each night.

No, I am not on parole nor do I turn into a pumpkin. In mid-April my dog, Pokey, was diagnosed with diabetes. Every 12 hours she has to eat and get a shot of insulin.

About seven years ago I rescued her after she had been hit by a car and had a broken femur. The vet called and asked me to foster her because she needed crate rest while her leg healed.

You can figure out by now, many years later, that I was a foster failure. And it has cost me dearly. We went through ACL surgery in Columbus at the cost of thousands of dollars.

Then when the leg got infected she underwent surgery in Columbus again to remove the pin. So in addition to normal vaccinations and preventatives, Pokey has presented me with some hefty vet bills.

And it may sound silly to those of you with no pets, but she is worth every penny. I have two dogs and have been very fortunate with the other. She is older, but has had no health problems so far.

My dogs are very much like my children. I wouldn’t deny them care anymore than I would neglect a child. They are one of my few sources of laughter. Only other dog owners will understand the peculiarities of our canine friends and why we love them.

If there is a patch of mud anywhere near your dog, he will find a way to roll in it. And whether you have a Great Dane or a Chihuahua, there is always room in your lap for him.

They scratch at the door to come in. But within 10 minutes they will be scratching to get out again.

Dogs get caught in some really stupid situations. I remember coming home from work one day to find my Dobie wound up in Christmas lights. After laughing hysterically, I freed her woebegone face from the lights on her head.

I’ve always thought it was so strange that your pup will bring you his toy to throw, but tries to keep you from taking it. Maybe it was a dog that made up the term passive-aggressive.

Yes, my dogs are very important to me. But to them I am their whole world. That’s a tremendous responsibility for any human to assume.

So I will continue to regulate my life around Pokey’s insulin injections. And I am celebrating today because on June 3, 1934, Dr. Frederick Banting received his knighthood. Banting, along with Charles Best, co-invented insulin.